Former Commander of Afghan Special Forces Launches Political Front Against Taliban In US | Afghanistan International

The founding members of the front stressed that they would work to "liberate Afghanistan from the occupation of the Taliban, drive out extremist groups" and work for the welfare of Afghan citizens.

Sami Sadat, the leader of the Afghanistan United Front, said that in August 2021 when the Taliban took over power, Afghanistan once again fell into the hands of the perpetrators of the September 11 attack.

He said that currently, about 16,000 al-Qaeda members receive military training in Afghanistan, and their leaders meet and travel freely in the Middle East.

Sadat claimed that in October 2021, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the person in charge of Al-Qaeda's international operations at the time, inspired by the "success of the Taliban," decided to "reconcile" Shia and Sunni terrorist groups in the Middle East and focus on their enmity with the United States.

According to this military officer of the previous Afghan government, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban work together in the training and military exercises of "terrorists" and prepare them for attacks in Africa, the Middle East, and even Europe.

According to Sadat, currently, the former base of American forces near Kandahar Airfield has become a training centre for suicide bombers.

He said that Al-Qaeda has a close relationship with the Taliban and now the Ministry of Defence of the group uses Al-Qaeda members for military training of its forces.

Sadat said, "Afghanistan is currently a haven for dozens of terrorist groups and they are preparing for overseas operations."

He stated that with the Taliban gaining power, terrorism in Afghanistan has gained opportunity, space, and inspiration. Sadat said that the Taliban are setting up hundreds of schools, brainwashing children, and preparing them for overseas operations.

Referring to the humanitarian situation and increased migration from Afghanistan, he said that the Taliban are indifferent to their own people, but they are a "good host" for international terrorism.

Sadat added that as citizens of Afghanistan, "we cannot sit idly by this situation”.

He said that he wants "a united Afghanistan under one flag, with the inclusion of all minorities and a constitutional order".

The leader of the Afghanistan United Front emphasised that he is in favour of forming a legitimate government in a peaceful way and "if possible, through dialogue and participation of the Taliban in the elections". However, Sadat said that if the Taliban do not want to hold these elections, resorting to "force" will be necessary.

Referring to the previous government, Sadat said that Afghan soldiers didn’t "lack will and courage", but "rather, the United States and the Afghan armed forces failed because of failed policies”.

After the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan, several political organisations have been created by exiled political leaders and former government officials.

Illegal Afghan Immigrants Must Be Deported, Says Iranian Interior Minister

Oct 19, 2023, 09:04 GMT+1

Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior of Iran, said that "illegal" Afghan immigrants should leave Iran. "We will organise those who have legal residence permits and have visas," he added.

While making such statements, he also said that “hypocrites” are fanning differences between Iranian people and Afghan immigrants.

According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), on the sidelines of the Iranian cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Vahidi explained, "Iran helped these people and gave them facilities so that their students could go to schools. However, some people are trying to turn the good relations between the people of the two countries into a challenge, and this is definitely the design of the enemies of the two countries."

Meanwhile, the Iranian interior minister admitted that some Iranian citizens have concerns about organising the immigrants. He stressed that these concerns are legitimate, and refugees should be organised.

Vahidi previously blamed the "enemy's intelligence services" for Iranian society’s anti-Afghan immigrant rhetoric following the increase in harassment of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

The authorities of the Islamic Republic always hold the intelligence services of other countries responsible for all the anomalies and protests in Iran.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, thousands of Afghans fled to neighbouring countries, including Iran.

WFP Appeals For USD 18.9 Million Urgent Aid For Herat Earthquake Victims

Oct 18, 2023, 15:33 GMT+1

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it needs 18.9 million dollars in emergency aid to assist more than 100,000 people affected by the Herat earthquake.

On Wednesday, this organisation said that it has to use the current extremely limited budget to provide food aid to the earthquake victims.

This UN-affiliated organisation added that it is trying to send emergency food aid to 100,000 people in the region.

In a statement, WFP wrote that disasters like earthquakes put a lot of pressure on communities that were living in absolute poverty.

As a result of the earthquake in Herat on October 7, more than two thousand people died and many villages were razed to the ground.

Following the deadly earthquake, Herat province and its neighbouring areas in other provinces of Afghanistan witnessed aftershocks in recent days, which caused fear and concern among the citizens.

WFP added that approximately 25,000 buildings have been destroyed and survivors are currently sleeping in tents next to the rubble of their homes and are afraid of more earthquakes and aftershocks.

According to UN officials, more than 90% of those killed in the earthquake were women and children.

The earthquakes occurred during the day when majority of the men in the area were working outside their homes.

At the start of this year, this UN organisation had to decrease the number of families receiving their aid. Consequently, severe funding shortages lead to the exclusion of 10 million people across Afghanistan from receiving essential food assistance, putting their lives at risk.

The WFP has also said that it needs USD 400 million to provide food aid to vulnerable communities in Afghanistan next winter.

This organisation has said that it will allocate food aid to support communities that need urgent help due to snow and landslides, as well as to Afghan women.

In recent days, a number of countries announced their readiness to help the Herat earthquake victims.

No Casualties Reported After Explosion Rocks Western Kabul, Says Taliban

Oct 18, 2023, 13:34 GMT+1

Khalid Zadran, Taliban’s spokesperson for the police department in Kabul, said that the explosion in the parking lot of "Bahar Sarab" commercial market located in Dashte Barchi of Kabul, did not result into any casualties.

On X social media platform, he wrote that the explosion caused a fire in the parking lot of the shopping center.

Zadran added that three cars were destroyed as the result of the explosion.

He said that the investigation on how the incident occurred has begun.

The explosion took place on Wednesday in the commercial market located in the 13th police district of Kabul city.

Afghan & Pakistani Taliban Condemn Attack on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza

Oct 18, 2023, 11:53 GMT+1

The Taliban's foreign ministry condemned the attack on the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza and termed it as a "crime against humanity". The Taliban blamed the Israeli forces for the attack.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Taliban's foreign ministry called on the world countries, human rights organisations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to "prevent the repetition of Israel's terror as soon as possible and not just condemn it”.

The Taliban warned, "If this horror and barbarism is not stopped, it is possible that the situation in the region will deteriorate and open the way for reactions that are out of control and end up harming the entire region and the world."

The group also criticised the "overt support of some countries" for the Israeli government and said that "silence of others has enabled the continuation of atrocities and of terror" of Israel.

Also, in a statement referring to the attack on the al-Ahli Hospital, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) asked Islamic countries to support Palestine "without fear and danger" just like Western countries support Israel.

It added that these "inhumane bombings are a big slap in the face of the members of the United Nations" and powerful countries, proving that they "support the oppressor, but not the oppressed".

The group asked Islamic countries to "hold the hands of the Palestinians in action, as the Western countries support Israel without fear or danger", instead of protesting and issuing statements.

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that at least 500 people were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Hospital.

The Israeli army has denied involvement in the attack and has held the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group responsible for it.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza has also denied Israel's claim.

This attack has been condemned by a number of countries and human rights organisations.

3 UN Officials Urge Pakistan To Stop Mass Deportation of Afghans

Oct 18, 2023, 09:58 GMT+1

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, and three other UN officials called on the Pakistani government to immediately stop the process of deportation of more than one million Afghan refugees.

In addition to Bennett, Felipe González Morales, the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, and Reem Alsalem, the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Children are signatories to the statement.

In their statement published on the website of the United Nations Human Rights Council, they stated, "We are also concerned by reports that Afghans living in Pakistan have been subjected to arrests, exploitation and undignified treatment since Pakistan announced its repatriation plans."

The statement also added that many Afghan immigrants in Pakistan have sought refuge in Pakistan due to serious human rights concerns, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and the imperative need to secure their lives.

Despite the concern of the United Nations and Pakistani and international human rights groups, the country’s government has announced that it will implement the plan to deport Afghan immigrants without legal documentation.

On Tuesday, the Pakistani military also said that it supports the deportation of Afghan migrants without legal documentation. Pakistani authorities have cited the alleged involvement of Afghan fighters in terrorist attacks within Pakistan as a justification for deporting these immigrants.

The Pakistani government have asked the immigrants to leave the country in less than two weeks.

The Taliban's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced that more than 500 families of Afghan migrants returned to the country in just one day.

UN special rapporteurs have urged the international community and member states to continue to facilitate and support the safe resettlement of at-risk Afghans in other countries.